In July 2024, the Minister of Education, Bernard Drainville, announced, in the middle of the summer holidays, a cut of 400 million in the maintenance budget of Quebec schools. A troubling choice given his following statement: “The state of our school infrastructure remains, for our government, a priority.”
At this news, a colleague exclaimed: “Anyway, my students don’t even scream anymore when we see mice in class! They’ve gotten used to it!” He teaches in a primary school in Verdun.
For my part, I finished the last school year surrounded by large flying ants that had taken up residence in the cracks in the floor since May. I would discreetly crush them when they flew onto my students’ work tables so as not to panic them.
Then, a few days ago, another colleague from Laval happily informed me: “I received my assignment. Finally a beautiful and healthy category A school!” Between laughter and discouragement, I congratulated her on her luck…
Indeed, it is a blessing, in the Quebec public school system, to have a clean and well-maintained school. Which says a lot about the conditions of the teaching profession, but also about the daily living environment of our young people.
According to an article by Zacharie Goudreault from Duty“documents from the last provincial budget indicate that 56% of the school network’s establishments are considered to be in poor or very poor condition, although Quebec had set itself the target of having at least half of them in good condition by… 2023” (“More than $400 million cut from the maintenance of Quebec schools”, The DutyJuly 10, 2024). In the Montreal School Services Center, where I teach: “more than 76% of its buildings are considered to be in poor condition.”
Mr. Drainville’s summer announcement therefore surprised school administrators, who were taken by surprise. “This is therefore at the very moment when many construction sites are planned or underway […] In order to absorb part of this accumulated maintenance deficit – which is manifested in particular by leaking roofs and ventilation problems – the FCSSQ notes that its members will have fewer resources this year to finance this work, which is nevertheless necessary to extend the life of several buildings.
If education were truly a priority, qualified teachers in schools in good condition would welcome our children at the start of the school year. However, the data speaks for itself: there is now a shortage of nearly 5,700 teachers for the 2024-2025 school year, and this is after the latest assignments. So I do not understand the optimism of our Minister of Education.
Mr. Drainville, you don’t attract flies with vinegar… If you want to retain or bring back teachers and students to our public schools, you must offer them what they deserve: a healthy work environment that offers them the best chances of success.